AuthorTopic: Street Shooting--The Movie! (Read 660 times)

OK, it's not really a movie. And, it probably doesn't pass the RSL street "test." But I'm posting it anyway. Every spring I attend a conference for railroad photographers in Lake Forest, IL. I generally arrive a day early so I can wander about downtown Chicago. In the past I've mostly focused on the Loop trains and how they are woven into the city and life of the people. I love the noise, the rush, and the constantly changing scenes. It's sort of like living in a kaleidoscope! My favorite part of the subways are the buskers. The video is from shots I made one rainy April day in 2014. Camera was my trusty Leica IIIc & Leica lenses 28/35/50/90mm (all 1940s vintage except ~1932 50mm). Film was mostly Ilford HP5 with a few shots of Ilford ISO 3200 thrown in for down in the tubes. (Film purchased at Central Camera Co., of course.) Metering was done with a Minolta IVf. (I found that on cloudy days the exposure doesn't change much.) The little Leica allowed me to shoot unobtrusively--it's still doing it's job after 75 years! I am a little disappointed with the image quality that YouTube gives. Photos are actually much sharper. However, I think my street shooting movie does deliver what I was after--the feel of the Chicago Loop on a rainy day.

The music is an integral part of the "movie." My first job out of college was manager for a record/music store in Kansas City. I used that opportunity to listen to all the music "standards": classical, jazz, showtunes, etc. For me, the banging of the drums and crashing symbols represent the noise of the trains. The minor key fit my mood--wandering alone in a big city on a chilly rainy day. The raw saxophone melody expresses the joy tinged with melancholy I felt while exploring an exciting place, and the odd 5/4 time recreates the edginess I felt as I poked around the gritty city. The b&w film, the people, the trains, and the music all came together very nicely for me.

Funny, I keep hearing that Brubeck album lately. It's following me!Nice pics too!

On a vaguely related note, my 15 year old son who is a bit of a musical prodigy (but not a jazz musician, yet...) said something to me the other day that really gave me hope for the future. He said, "Wow dad, Thelonius Monk is SO GOOD! If I like that, what else should I check out?". My heart swelled with pride!

Funny, I keep hearing that Brubeck album lately. It's following me!Nice pics too!

On a vaguely related note, my 15 year old son who is a bit of a musical prodigy (but not a jazz musician, yet...) said something to me the other day that really gave me hope for the future. He said, "Wow dad, Thelonius Monk is SO GOOD! If I like that, what else should I check out?". My heart swelled with pride!

I'd suggest steering him away from Cecil Taylor until he can drink legally. Coltrane, OTOH…if he likes Giant Steps then go for A Love Supreme.

Too late, we are already into Cecil although he isn't totally sold on it. I tell him to listen to that percussive influence in more modern stuff like John Medeski. I don't necessarily enjoy all the CT I hear either but I like what he has added to the modern jazz sound through innovation and influence. Of course Miles/Monk/Trane are pretty well covered already so I'm trying to compliment that as I see it might catch his interest.